Last-forming machine



Aug 3, 1929. M. LARsoN 1,724,139

LAST FORMING MACHINE Filed Feb. 19, 1926 2 Sheet s-Sheet '1 Au fls, 1929. M, LARSON 1,724,139

LAST FORMING MACHINE Filed Feb. 19, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Aug. ltd, 1929.

UNHTED STATES MARTIN LARSON, OF LA GRANGE, ILLINOIS.

LAST-FORIVIING MACHINE.

Application filed February 19, 1926. Serial ll'o. 89,258.

The chines vision composed of material of a fragile character such as plaster of Paris may be utilized to provide a means from which to fashion a last of some more substantial and durable material such as wood.

It is therefore an object of the invention toprovide an improved. construction inchiding a. pattern wheel and cutter, the former of which. is so mounted and actuated as to engage the temporary plaster pattern and guides the cutter with such. light or balanced. pressure that a replica of the pattern may he shaped or fashioned from a block without subjecting the plaster pattern to the possibility of injury or breakage, due to either the weight of the mechanism to which the pattern wheel and cutter are attached or the resistance offered to this mechanism (.llill'lflg the cutting operation.

lit a further object of the invention to employ improved devices for holding the pattern relatively to certain elements of the machine, which devices will grasp the pat torn and also the reinforcing member of a pattern of a new andv improved construction as fully described and claimed in my U. S. Patent No. 1,647,639 dated. Nov. 1, 1927.

In addition to the above, it is a further object of the invention to employ holding; devices for grasping the pattern and the block from which the last to he fashioned, which devices are movable relatively to each other to adjust said devl to :wcounnodate patterns and blocks of different lengths and to associate with said devices means for holding them in their adjusted relation.

It is also an object to provide a machine of the above character with improved means which may grasp the heel of the pattern and the toe of the last fashioned. after the pat invention relates to last forming maand has for its prune ob ect the protern so as to cause the simultaneous rotation of both the pattern and the block.

it is also another feature of the invention "to provide mcans for rotating and simultaneously movingboth the pattern and the block lengthwise relatively to the pattern and cutting wheel and to construct said means so that said means and. said elements by which the pattern and block are carried may be rapidly restored totheir initial or starting position.

The invention will be explained in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of a construction whereby a patternwhich illustrate a machine constructed according to one embodiment of the invention,

being obvious that changes and modifications may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention embodied in the appended claims forming a part hereof.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a front elevation View of a machine embodying the invention.

Fig. 2 is an end view of the device shown in Fig. 1 showing certain elements in section.

Fig. 8 an elevation of a fragment of the pattern and cutting wheel frame of the machine shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

Figs. 4 and 5 are details of the means for clamping the pattern and block to the machine.

.l ig. 6 is a sectional view of a portion of astandard provided with means which co-operatcs with a. member for moving the pattern and block relatively to the pattern and cutting wheels, and illustrates a means whereby said member, pattern and block may be rapidly moved to their initial or starting position at u? the formation of a last. V

The embodiment of the invention as illustrated in the drawings contemplates the use of a main frame 10, upon which is mounted an auxiliary frame 11, which. carries pattern and block supports generally designated 12, a pattern and cutter wheel frame 13, and a motor let for driving the cut-ting wheel. The auxiliary frame 11. includes a pair of parallel longitudinally ar anged supporting bars and lo, which are held stationary relatively to the main frame 10 by means of the vertical supports 17 and 18.

The mttcrn and block supports generally designated 12 include a plurality of relatively movable separated members 19, 20 and 21, which are held in. proper spaced re lation from each other by means of the pattern 22 and the block 2?) from which latter the last is to be fashioned, and are held in. proper associated relation by means of the rods 2i and 25. One end of these rods is fixedly mounted in the member 19 and they each. extend through the elements 20 and 2], to allow of their adjustment along said rods and with relation to the member 19 to thereby allow the introduction and removal of the pattern and the block between said members 19, 20 and 2i. One end of each of said rods o-ft and is provided. with threads 26 and each is provided with a nut such as 27 to hold the elements 19, 20 and 21 in proper relation with the pattern and block interposed therebetween. A means is provided for rotating the pattern 22 and the block 23 and simultaneously moving said pattern, block and structure with which the pattern and block are associated longitudinally of the frame along the rods 15 and 16. This means includes the screw threaded member 28, having the hand wheel 29, the member 28 being rotatably mounted in the support 30 which travels along said rods 15 and 16 upon the rotation. of the screw threaded member. The screw threaded member 28 is journalled in the support 18 and is in threaded engagement with the internally threaded members 31 which are hinged. to the support 18 and are separably secured together to releasably engage the screw threaded member 28 to allow the rod 28 and its associated elements to be quickly restored to their initial or starting position upon completion of a last. The separable members 31 are separably secured together by means of the thumb screw and bolt 33. Said threaded member 28 is rotatably mounted in a bearing in the movable support 21 and is provided with a clamping element 32 for clamping one end of the block 23 from which the last is fashioned. The threaded members 31 when engaging the threads of the rod 28 by the rotation of the rod, provide a means for feeding the pattern 22, the block 23 and associated elements relatively to the pattern and cutting wheels and frame 13.

The support 19 is provided with means 31- for engaging the pattern 22, and the support 20 is provided with means for engaging both the pattern and the block. The means designated 34: is clearly shown in Fig. 4-

and consists of a rotatably mounted bearing portion 36 and the stationary and movable clamping elements 37 and 38, the latter of which is pivoted at 39 to allow it to be moved toward and away from the stationaryelement to releasably clamp the pattern upon the actuation of the thumb screw a0.

The element generally designated 35 for engaging both the pattern and the block from which the last is to be fashioned is also provided with a bearing element 41 which is rotatably arranged in the member 20. The element 35 has one end constructed to provide stationary elements 12 and 43 and movable elements 44: and 45, which are separably held by means .of the screw and thumb nutaG. The elements a2 and at are employed to engage the sides of the pattern 22 while the elements 43 and 45 are designed to engage a wire or other suitably shaped member 47 which extends from the plaster pattern 22 and in the manner shown in Fig. 5, as more fully illustrated and described in my aforesaid co-pending application. It is manifest that when the thumb screw is actuated the movable elements 44: and t5 will be moved on their pivot 48 to release or engage the pattern and extension or re inforcing wire 4 The opposite clan'iping end of the member 35 and the element 32 substantially correspond to the slructure illustrated in Fig. l-, and will therefore not be explained again in detail.

The frame generally designated 12) is mounted upon the shaft 19 located in proximity to the .frame generally designated 11 and is pivotally mounted in bearings 50 and 51 carried by the main frame 10. This frame includes a pattern wheel frame 52 which includes the parallel arms 52 and 53 fixed to the shaft and which carry the rod 5s: at their upper ends upon which the pattern wheel 55 is rotatably mounted between the collars 55, 56 adjnstably lixed to said shaft. The shaft ah) extends a suitable distance beyond the bearing 51 and has the arms 57 and 5S adjustably fixed to the shaft eli), which arms extend u 'nvardly from the shaft and carry a flanged pulley 59 and the cutter (50, which are mounted upon the shaft (31 and are driven by means of a belt (32 extemliiig downwardly to the pulley 3 which is a part of the pulley (i-lrotatably mounted upon the shaft 4-5,). A belt (35 extends between the pulley c and the motor ll and thus the cutter wheel (30 is driven. it is of course understood that while the wheel (30 is referred to as a cutter wheel. that it is not limited to the use of a. wheel having a saw or other cutting teeth as it has been (found that a wheel having its annular face covered by sandpaper or emery cloth will perform to an extent the function of shaping the block according to the paltern. The auxiliary frame 13 is provided with a stop 66 for engaging the main frame whereby the outward moven'ient of said frame and associated elements is limited.

The belt 62 and the cutter wheel are rotated in a ccumter-cloelewise direction as indicated by the arrow in Fig. 2 and thus this direction of rotation of the belt has a tendency to relieve the plaster casting of the weight of the frame carrying the cutter, as it is manifest that the pulling force applied to the belt upon the pulley of) in the direction above indicated, will materially relieve the fragile plaster pattern of the weight of the cutter and pattern wheel frame. Since the weight of the pattern and cutter wheel frame only is solely relied upon to maintain these wheels in proper co-operative relation with the pattern and block the force to which the plaster or fragile casting is subjected during the formation of the last is thereby reduced so that a pattern or casting of a very fragile substance as plaster of Paris may be used.

ill)

From the foregoing description of the structure it is manifest that as the hand wheel 29 and the threaded member 28, are rotated the pattern 22 and block 23 are rotated and moved simultaneously lengthwise of the main. frame 11, and by virtue of the fact that the pattern wheel rests upon the pattern. 22 rotation and longitudinal movement of the latter will impart transvcn'sc movement to the rotating cutter wheel (30 which, by virtue of its contact with the block 23, will out out of said. block a replica of the pattern 22. It will be noted that the frame 13 depends entirely upon its own weight for maintaining the pattern wheel in contact with the pattern. 22 which, as before stated, is formed. of a material capable of being molded, as plaster of Paris, which is more or less fragile and tl'ierefore, it is an object to construct this frame and associated. device to arrange them so that they will not subject the pattern to a weight or force which might break or otherwise injure it.

By referring to Fig. 2 it will be noted that the shaft 4l9 upon which the pattern and cutting wheel frame are pivotally mounted is located parallel to and. in substantial horizontal relation to the supporting bar 16. This relative arrangement of these elements, the direction of rotation of the belt 62 and parts driven thereby and the fact that springs, weights, etc. are dispensed. with for holding the cutter wheel. in. associated relation with the block, produces an arrangement whereby the required contact between the cutter wheel. and the block is obtained without subjecting the plaster or fragile pattern to any injurious or crushing strain due to the weight of the frame carrying the pattern and cutter wheel and the resistance offered to the cutting wheel by the block.

The structure above referred to, including the separable internally threaded members 31 provided. a means whereby the threaded nember 28 may be released to permit said member and its associated mechanism to be bodily moved relatively to the pattern and cutter wheel. to restore it to its initial or starting position, and also to cause said mechanism to be fed in the reverse direction so as to accomplish the fashioning of a last.

Having thus described my invention what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a machine of the character described, the combination of a frame including separated parallel stationary members, members arranged. transversely of said first men tioned members providing movable supports, means carried by said movable supports which provide devices for engaging a pattern and a block from which a replica of the pattern may be fashioned, a member providing means also carried by said frame for retating and simultaneously moving said pattern and. block longitudinally of said first mentioned frame, and pattern and cutter wheels respectively cooperating with said. pattern and blocln 2. In a machine of the character described, the combination of a plurality of members for carrying pattern and block supports, a frame upon which said members are slidably mounted, means for holding saidnumibers in associated relation to each other, said means providing means whereby one of said nien'ibers may be adjusted relatively to the other, pattern and block supports carried by said members, one of said last mentioned supports having rotatable means extending therefrom and having screw threaijled con nection with said frame whereby said pattern and block may be rotated and simultaneously moved longitudinally by the rotation of said. rotatable means.

3. In a machine of the character described, the combination of a plurality of members providing pattern and ,block' supports, a frame upon which said members are slidably mounted, means for holding said members in associated relation to each other, said means providing means whereby one of said members may be adjusted relatively to the other, pattern and block su iports carried by said. members, one of said last mentioned supports having means extending therefrom whereby said pattern. and block may be rotated and providing an element of means for moving said first mentioned members longitudinally of said. frame, and means for releasing said last mentioned means to thereby allow said pattern and block STLPPOITS, together with said means for holding said members in associated relation and with said means whereby said pattern and. block may be rotated. and moved longitudinally of said. frame, all to be moved along said first mentioned frame as a unit independently of the rotation of said last mentioned means.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, on this 16th day of February, A. D. 1926.

MARTIN LARSON. 

